Loom harness operating mechanism



July 26, 1966 J. T. BLAKELY, JR 3,252,469

LOOM HARNESS OPERATING MECHANISM 30 D Filed July 25, 1964 I f INVENTOR. Ki l-ai JAMES 7TBLAKLY,J12.

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A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,262,469 LGUM HARNESS OPERATING MECHANISM James T. Blakely, Jr., Rte. 1, Laurens, S.C. Filed July 23, 1964, Ser. No. 384,631 2 Claims. (Cl. 13984) This invention relates to an improved harness operating mechanism for dobby looms and the like.

The operating mechanism usually used in textile mills for transmitting motion from a dobby jack to a harness employs a looped wire leader having an upper arm or link connected to a harness cord eye. The harness cord passes over the right-hand sheave to the harness. A lower wire link has a hook attached to the eye of the left-hand cord of the harness. The looped portion of the wire is fastened to the so-called dobby loop or jack eye, which consists essentially of an elongated body having means bridging one end thereof for accommodating the looped portion of the wire, while the other end is attached to the jack.

During weaving the wire leaders have a tendency to flop together, especially looms having many harnesses connected to many jacks in a restricted space, causing hanging or other fouling of the Wire leaders, harness cord eyes, and connecting parts. Since the wire leaders have hooks on the free ends thereof, which are connected to harness cord eyes at right angles thereto, excessive wear often occurs in this area, as well as in the looped area of the wire which engages the dobby loop. When breakage occurs a breakout in the warp often results, and many defects in the cloth result from the jerky and uneven operation of the harnesses resulting from the flopping of the wire leaders.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invent-ion to provide an improved loom harness mechanism which will provide simpler, smoother working parts resulting in smooth harness operation.

Another important object of the invention is to eliminate the wire leaders and harness cord connecting eyes which often become fouled due to their operation in a restricted area upon multi-harness looms during weaving.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the wire leader and its inherent disadvantages, together with simplifying and reducing the costs of loom harness operating mechanism for dobby looms and yet produce better cloth.

Another important object of the invention is to eliminate excessive wear points in harness operating mechanism to reduce breakouts in the warp, together, with the elimination of the hanging and fouling of the wire leaders.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, with parts broken away, illustrating loom harness operating mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention in operating position upon a dobby loom,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front elevation, with parts broken away, illustrating the loom harness operating mechanism shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation looking from the righthand side of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation, similar to FIGURE 2, illustrating a modified form of the invention,

3,262,469 Patented July 26, 1966 harnesses and the like.- The improvement includes an elongated body A having spaced flat side members with means positioning the body upon the jack vertical adjacent one end of the body for movement in a vertical plane with the sides vertical. A pair of vertically spaced bearing members B and C bridge the sides adjacent the other end thereof. A pair of harness cords D and E carry each harness adjacent one end of each cord. Hook members F and G are carried by each respective cord adjacent the other end thereof. Such an elongated body A is provided for each pair of harness cords, and the hook members pass over respective bearing members engaging same and being confined between the side members. Thus, the hook portions and sides are positively positioned in substantially parallel planes when in operating position upon the loom so as to avoid fouling adjacent operating mechanism and provide smooth harness operation.

Preferably, the body A and the bearing members B and C are constructed from a suitable relatively hard but somewhat flexible plastic. A restricting element H prevents the inadvertent dislodgement of the hooks F and G from the bearing members B and C, respectively. The hooks may be readily forced to overcome the restricting element when inserted therein due to the flexibility of the sides of the body A.

The arch of a dobby loom is illustrated at 10 while a jack is illustrated at 11. A pair of sheaves 12 and 13 are provided for carrying respective harness cords of a pair suitable for carrying a harness, such as is illustrated at 14. Each harness cord has a hook 15 attached thereto by a suitable clamping member 16. A usual fiber link 17 has a plurality of vertically spaced holes 17a therein for adjustably accommodating the cord hooks 15 and the harness hooks 18.

The dobby loop is provided in the form of a body A, preferably constructed of relatively hard, but somewhat flexible and resilient plastic, which is adapted to be connected on one end thereof to the jack 11. The body A includes a pair of thin vertical sides 19 and 20. The body A is preferably integrally constructed and molded in one piece and includes a bridging portion 21 at one end thereof, carrying a jack lever catch portion 22. The jack lever catch portion 22 engages the indentations 11a provided in the jack 11. The pair of vertically spaced bearing members B and C bridge the sides 19 and 20 remote from the jack lever catch 22, and are preferably integrally molded with the body portion A.

The harness cords D and E may be constructed of any suitable material. Wire covered with plastic is illustrated and each of the cords D and E carries hook members F and G, respectively, by suitable clamping members 23 and 24.

It will be observed that a space 25 is defined between the side members 19 and 20 to accommodate reception of the hooks F and G. A restricting member H includes a pair of vertically aligned projections 26 and 27, which are molded integrally with the body A. The restricting element may take a number of forms and, if desired, only one projecting surface could be employed or the entire space 25 may be restricted except in the areas adjacent the hooks when in operating position. It is preferred that the hooks be constructed of metal so as to provide a desirable working arrangement with the bearing members B and C, since metal against plastic is a desirable relationship.

Referring more particularly to the modified form of the invention, illustrated in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, in which like parts are designated by like reference characters with prime notations added, it will be observed that the sides of the body A are constructed from suitable separate members 28 and 29. The sides 28 and 29 are joined together on one end thereof by rivets 30, as well as by an integral end portion 33. The rivet serves to carry the jack lever catch 32, which has an inwardly projecting portion 33 for engaging the notches 11a of the jack 11. The bearing members B and C include rivets 34 and 35, which carry plastic sleeves 36 and 37, respectively, which act as bearing surfaces.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made Without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dobby loop for connecting two lengths of dobby cord to a jack utilizing a single dobby loop, one of said lengths of dobby cord being connected adjacent the side of a harness remote from the jack and the other of said lengths of dobby cord being connected adjacent the other side of the harness including, an elongated body constructed of relatively hard but somewhat flexible material, said body comprising, a pair of spaced aligned side members, means positioning the body upon the jack carried adjacent one end of the body for movement in a vertical plane with the sides, a pair of vertically spaced upper and lower connecting portions carried between the sides adjacent the other end thereof, said lengths of dobby cord having means connecting said one of said lengths to said upper connecting portion and said other of said lengths to said lower connecting portion, said lengths of said dobby cords each being continuous from said harness to said cord and a restricting element carried by the elongated body between the sides thereof adjacent the connecting portions for locking said means connecting to the connecting portions, whereby two lengths of dobby cord carrying a harness may be connected directly by a single loop to a jack.

2. For use in a loom having a jack and harness, a dobby loop for connecting two lengths of dobby cord to the jack utilizing a single dobby loop without the usual wire connectors, said lengths of dobby cord each being connected on one end thereof adjacent a side of the harness and being continuous from said harness to said loop, said dobby loop having an elongated body constructed of relatively hard but somewhat flexible material, said body comprising, a pair of spaced aligned side members, means positioning the body upon the jack carried adjacent one end of the body for movement in a vertical plane with the sides, connecting means carried between the sides adjacent the other end thereof, a hook member carried by said lengths of dobby cord closely adjacent each of the other ends thereof, said hook member passing over said connecting means engaging same and being confined between the side members, and a restricting element carried closely adjacent the hook member when said hook member engages said connecting means for locking said hook member to said connecting means, whereby said hook member will not be inadvertently disengaged from the dobby loop during weaving, and whereby said hook member is fixed against excessive movement relative to said connecting means during weaving.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 380,118 3/1888 Hutchings 139-84 1,085,565 1/1914 Gilson 139-88 1,521,183 12/1924 Holmes et al. 13984 2,075,439 3/1937 Huggins 13982 2,437,739 3/1948 Harris 139-84 2,522,625 9/1950 Lundgren 13988 2,591,397 4/1952 Blanchard 13988 2,640,506 6/1953 Consoletti l3988 2,904,079 9/1959 Moore 13984 2,919,722 1/1960 Alford 139-88 3,174,513 3/1965 Wilkie 13984 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

DONALD W. PARKER, Examiner.

I. KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DOBBY LOOP FOR CONNECTING TWO LENGTHS OF DOBBY CORD TO A JACK UTILIZING A SINGLE DOBBY LOOP, ONE OF SAID LENGTHS OF DOBBY CORD BEING CONNECTED ADJACENT THE SIDE OF A HARNESS REMOTE FROM THE JACK AND THE OTHER OF SAID LENGTHS OF DOBBY AND CORD BEING CONNECTED ADJAENT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HARNESS INCLUDING, AN ELONGATED BODY CONSTRUCTED OF RELATIVELY HARD BUT SOMEWHAT FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, SAID BODY COMPRISING, A PAIR OF SPACED ALIGNED SIDE MEMBERS, MEANS POSITIONING THE BODY UPON THE JACK CARRIED ADJACENT ONE END OF THE BODY FOR MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL PLANE WITH THE SIDES, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER CONNECTING PORTIONS CARRIED BETWEEN THE SIDES ADJACENT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID LENGTHS OF DOBBY CORD HAVING MEANS CONNECTING SAID ONE OF SAID LENGTHS TO SAID UPPER CONNECTING PORTION AND SAID OTHER OF SAID 